It all began with the bathroom.

We had been noticing that the vinyl flooring near the toilet was becoming spongy. The time had come to address this problem.

My wife, Marilyn, and I are not very handy around the house, so we sought help.

Our son, Casey, had the answer. His friend, Adam Schenk, works in construction and was willing to help us out.

Adam discovered that the seal attached to the bottom of the toilet had deteriorated to the point that water was leaking into the floorboards. He replaced all of the boards and fixed the toilet.

Casey thought it would be a good idea to tile the bathroom floor instead of using vinyl flooring. Adam was good at tiling as well, so we went that route.

Everything went according to plan. We didnt mind (too much) with having to go without a bathroom for two days.

With the bathroom project completed, we decided to expand our laundry list of things that needed to be done in our house. When you have a house that is 100 years old, there are a lot of things that need to be done.

Casey suggested that we refinish the floors in our kitchen, dining, living rooms and downstairs bedroom. We thought that that would be a great idea since we had already pulled the worn-out carpeting in our living room and bedroom. We also decided to paint the bathroom and kitchen.

Our original intent was to pull the vinyl flooring in our kitchen and refinish the wooden floor. But after we removed the vinyl flooring, we discovered another layer of vinyl flooring that looked like it was from the 1930s. We did some research and found out that flooring that old was often made with asbestos, so we came up with an alternative plan: We would have Adam tile our kitchen floor.

The rest is here:
PAINTER: Remodeling takes perseverance, learning from mistakes

The old Baldwin Junior High School auditorium could be remodeled for other purposes at a cost of $475,000 to $800,000, an architect told the Baldwin school board on Monday.

The board has been reviewing district facilities since it received a report in April from district administrators proposing future uses of all district properties. In its subsequent discussion, the board agreed to attempt to reuse existing district properties rather than add new buildings or space.

One of the areas of interest to the board was the old junior high school auditorium made redundant with the opening a year ago of the Performing Arts Center. Earlier this month, the board accepted a proposal from Kevin Grieshar, of the districts architectural firm DLR Group, to review at no cost the remodeling of the space.

On Monday, Grieshar shared three options, all of which would remodel the theater seating area into space for a 3,365-square-foot multi-purpose center. That center could be used for high school wrestling and cheerleading practice, a junior high weight room and a 775-square-foot prop storage room.

The options differed on how they would use the stage, storage space behind the stage and the junior high school band and vocal music area, with the cheaper options making fewer changes to those areas.

Grieshar said the sloping floor in the auditorium could be leveled.

The most expensive option, which Grieshar estimated would cost $700,000 to $800,000, would convert the stage and storage space behind it to a band and vocal music room and build two 1,100-square-foot classrooms in the music room.

The second and cheapest option, estimated to cost $475,000 to $500,000, would leave the band and vocal rooms in place and convert the stage to classrooms while doing nothing to the storage space behind the stage.

The third option with an estimated cost of $565,000 to $650,000 would move the band and vocal room to the stage, convert the current music space to classrooms but not touch the storage space behind the stage.

All three options would make improvements to restrooms near the gym and auditorium.

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Baldwin Junior High School auditorium remodeling options shared with school board

Is summer the best time to remodel? Well, according to remodeling expert Dan Fritschen, yes it is. Here are some reasons why and also some tips on how to get it done.

Summertime is when you might go away for the weekend to visit Grandma and perhaps take another weekend or a week to go to Disney. If you are remodeling, these are the best times for the workers to be in your house making a mess and getting the work done. The workers will have more space and you don't have to worry about staying out of their way -- plus when you come home, all or at least a good amount of the work will be done.

If you are remodeling the kitchen, summer is certainly a good time to do it. You can eat outdoors, and light meals, not requiring much if any cooking, are just the thing during the summer. Picnics are fun.

If you happen to be opening a wall because you are adding a room, or if you need to open a wall to add a window, summer is the perfect time because you don't have to worry about freezing-cold temperatures entering your humble abode. If painting is in order, summer is good because you can open windows to let the smell out and the fresh air in.

Nature gives great inspiration, and summer is a perfect time to go out and enjoy nature. Look at the colors and the color combinations in nature. Absorb what appeals to you and use it in your remodeling.

While you are out there soaking up the sun, consider getting your yard in order. Remodel, upgrade

Solar panels are suggested for installation on your house. They can save you money and power your home, and summertime is when you will benefit the most from the panels.

Well, there you have it. Don't be too lazy during the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. Get the house in order and the yard, too. You'll be glad you did.

(Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, an interior designer in Naples, Fla., is author of "Mystery of Color." For design inquiries, write to Rosemary at DsgnQuest(at)aol.com.)

SHNS

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Home remodeling tips for the summer

23-06-2012 23:17 Trademark Construction LLC is a full service Residential and Commercial Remodeling Company which is licensed and insured, offering a range of services for home improvement and business remodeling. Trademark provides Whole house remodeling, kitchen remodeling, basement remodeling, bathroom remodeling, interior & exterior painting, flooring, handyman services, insurance restoration services and much more. Our goal is to provide our clients with high quality craftsmanship, materials and the best customer service with fair prices. Your complete satisfaction is our guarantee. Our good standing with the Maryland Home Improvement Commission and our online reviews as well as the review with BBB speak for themselves. Through out the years of renovating our clients' homes, multi-family units, and businesses We have won their trust. Give us a chance to earn yours.

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All your Remodeling needs By http://www.trademarkconstruct.com - Video

PHILADELPHIA Time was, and not all that long ago, that putting money into your house before putting it on the market paid off at resale.

But the "sluggish housing market continues to push down remodeling return on investment," Sal Alfano writes in the most recent cost-vs.-value report issued by Remodeling magazine, with the overall average cost-to-value ratio dropping to 57.7 percent from its peak in 2005 of 86.7 percent.

Even though the cost of remodeling has continued to fall, that's effectively counteracted by a drop in resale values, Alfano writes.

Bottom line: There is no guarantee that any improvement will boost the sale price of a house, especially in a real- estate market in which even multiple offers typically result only in an amount near or slightly above asking price.

Yes, doing the necessary improvements to a house will help it compete. If two houses are for sale on the same street for the same price and one has a new roof while the other needs one, it's not hard to figure out which might sell first. But "might" is the operative word in an era when little about the real-estate market is a certainty.

New roof or not, a house's list price must be appropriate for the market to attract buyers who likely will not only expect leak-free conditions but also a furnace and air conditioning that work properly.

Market observers say some sellers are still demanding prices well above what's appropriate, in an effort to turn their improvements into more cash. That, they say, is an attitude that keeps many listings sitting idle, some for a year or more.

Not to mention that it assumes the sellers' idea of improvement is in sync with the opinions of the buyers they wish to impress.

Harris Gross of Engineers for Home Inspection in Cherry Hill, N.J., gets to see the results of homeowners' misguided assumptions about what it will take to sell.

Assumption: Your house has just one bathroom, and you need at least another half-bath (also known as a powder room) for buyers to even consider you.

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Remodeling work less likely to boost home price

ATLANTIC - The Cass County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees voted four to two to go ahead with remodeling work that will create a new conference/training room on the first floor of the hospital, at a cost of $117,048.80.

The new conference and training room will replace the current second floor conference room.

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CCMH board approves conference and training room remodeling project

The Recorder

Many new trends were reported by experts in the housing industry at the start of 2012 for the custom home and remodeling markets, but which ones are showing up throughout Florida?

According to Michael Lenahen, president of Aurora Custom Homes and Remodeling in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., the hottest trends in 2012 are found in new color schemes, outdoor living spaces, "task zones," and advances in technology. "We attend tradeshows and conferences at the beginning of every year to learn about the latest trends coming our way, but its not until mid-year that you begin to see which trends enter our local market," Lenahen said in a news release. "In 2012, we have seen an increased demand for unique outdoor living spaces, the latest high-tech gadgets and a color palette conducive to the Florida lifestyle."

Colors and textures create the mood

Light, bright and airy rooms are the desired look for Florida residents.

Walls in a soft, pale shade of off-white allow for the vibrant colors of artwork, accent pillows, accessories, and the richness of wood flooring and cabinetry to provide the splash of color.

On occasion, the primary wall of a room is highlighted in a rich texture, such as applied stone, ceramic tile or colored fabric to act as a visual backdrop and enhance the feel of the space. This color strategy allows homeowners to control the focus in each room and provides maximum flexibility for making simple, inexpensive changes to the room as needed.

Flexible spaces for entertaining and outdoor living Homes that provide flexible living spaces for dining and entertaining are growing in popularity.

Kitchens, dining areas and family rooms are now an integrated triangle to allow for more socialization and entertaining.

This concept is being expanded to the outdoor living area where entire walls of stacking or folding glass doors are combining the indoor and outdoor living spaces.

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Ponte Vedra

SARATOGA SPRINGS At Putnam Market, cheese is revered in fact, it even has its own climate-controlled room.

The gourmet market on Broadway recently completed construction of a special cheese room, a glass-enclosed tasting space designed to maintain an optimal temperature and humidity for the stores wide variety of cheese.

The key thing for me is that it was designed for our customers, said Cathy Hamilton, co-owner of the store.

The display of cheese wheels and slices behind thermal-glass walls looks almost like an exhibition, but Hamilton welcomes shoppers through the glass door to interact with the merchandise.

Its not a cheese museum. Its a cheese-tasting space, she said, cutting a thin slice of Parrano a Gouda with a mild Parmesan-like flavor for sampling.

With a temperature between 50 and 55 degrees, the cheese room might be the coolest spot in the Spa City.

It opened just in time for summer. You can come in here and stand in a refrigerated room and actually taste stuff, Hamilton said.

Experienced staff members brave the chill to provide customers with samples of choices like Brie de Meaux sometimes call the king of cheeses or Manchego a firm cheese with a buttery texture made from sheeps milk.

From Midnight Moon to PsycheDILLic, the inventory is meant to be enticing.

Its a process for people. They can actually get involved, and the staff makes it more enjoyable, Hamilton said.

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Putnam Market becomes the big cheese in Saratoga Springs

19-06-2012 10:05 Cathy from Needham, Massachusetts, is very pleased with her family's remodeled kitchen and family room addition. Award-winning Tibma Design designed and built a new kitchen and added a spacious family room to their Cape Cod style house that gives an open and airy feeling that she and her family love.

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Tibma Design Build Needham Kitchen Remodel and Family Room Addition - Video

18-06-2012 12:03 603-767-8834 Contact Stephanie Hamel today! Complete design from space planning to paint and wallcovering to furniture selection. Hamel House Design does everything from window treatments to home staging. We pride ourselves on our attention to detail and listening to clients' needs. Comfortable, Personal, Beautiful. Contact me today and find out how I can help you.

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Interior Design Portsmouth NH Bedroom Living Room Remodeling - Video